Remote control apparatus



C. J. FITCH REMOTE CONTROL APPARATUS Filed March 23, 1955 TOR 4% INV? v ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1936.

r I I a m a 2 Patented Aug. 4, 1936 I Clyde 1; Fitch, Jersey City, N. 1., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York 7 Application March as, 1935, Serial No. 12,514

4 Claims.

This invention relates to remote control apparatus and is particularly adapted to control various types of units or mechanisms in a distinctive manner upon the reception of successive electrical impulses, the characteristics of which are the same.

More particularly the invention relates to control apparatus comprising a series of relays, and an object of whichis to control additional mech- 10 anisms upon the reception of successive electrical impulses, having similar characteristics, the first of which causes certain control circuits to be established to render any control mechanism embodied therein energized. This circuit establ5 lished then'remains in this energized condition until a second impulse causes other control circuits to return the energized and controlled mechanism to its normal deenergized or inoperative condition.

to This feature may be applied and can'be embodied in a considerable variety of constructions, and one of these has been selected for illustrative purposes, since it is believed to exhibit the invention in its most convenient and effective form.

25 It is particularly applicable to tele-printer, caseshift mechanism and when applied in this manner is extremely useful and important in that separate shifting and unshifting control mechanisms are eliminated.

Various otherobjects and advantages of the invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspection of the accompanying drawing; and the invention also constitutes certain new and useful; features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and-claimed.

In the drawing:

m Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional elevation'lllustrating a, portion of a tale-printer unit.

Fig. 2 is a schematic circuit diagram embodying the presentinvention.

1 Referring now to the drawing in which similar parts are designate -by the same numerals in the several views, it is elieved that a clear understanding of the invention will be had therefrom when considered in'conjunction with the followi g description.

i As mentioned before for illustrative purposes, this invention is shown as embodying a power driven tele-printeror typewriter of the type disclosed in the copending ,application Ser. No.

677,018, filed June 22, 1933, the construction of i which is well known to those in the art, and

hence only requires'the following brief description. v r Referringnowto Fig. 1, in the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, well known means are 0 provided for actuating the type bars and case shift mechanism by power operated devices com- 1 prising a power driven roller lli.

A cam II is pivoted on one armof a bell cra lever l2 pivoted in the frame, the other arm of which is operatively connected with one arm of a 5 bell crank lever l3 by means of link M. The other arm of lever I3 is connected to the type bars (not shown) in a well known manner and fully disclosed in the aforesaid application.

The lever I2 is actuated by the cam II when 10 the latter engages the driven roller M to be operated thereby. The engagement of the cam II with the power roller is controlled automatically by means of the solenoid 18 connected to the key bar l 'l by link l9.

The cam II is resiliently engaged by a springpressed arm 20 which tends totum it into en-' gagement with the power driven roller or a stop 2| on a lever 22 pivoted on the bell crank I2 and normally arranged in the path of a lug 23 on the 20 cam. When the lever 22-swings to move its stop out of the path of the lug, the arm 20 swings the cam into engagement with the power roller to be actuated thereby to swing the bell crank I! to actuate its connected mechanism; The lever 22 has an arm 24 which is provided with anoffset projection 25 at its end which projects laterally through an opening in the bell crank l2 and engages the bifurc'ated lower end 26 of an arm 2'! of a key lever l1 pivoted on the common rod 28 30' and linked to the solenoid l8. It is obvious then that energization of solenoid l8 in causing a key lever II to be depressed releases-the revolubly mounted cam II to engage and be actuated by power roller ill in turn operating bell crank I2 and its attached links to cause the associated mechanism such as the key bars; or case shift mechanism to be, operated.

One of the links i6 connected to a bell crank 12 is associated with the case shifting mechanism (not shown) well known in the art and a disclosure of which is given in U. S. Patent No. 1,945,097 issued to R. G. Thompson, et a1., January 30, 1934, so that further description is not necessary since the case shifting mechanism itself is not claimed as part of this invention. It is understood that the case shift mechanism remains in its operated position so long as the controlling key bar I1 is depressed which is the common practice.

Referring now to Fig. 2, one method of connecting theseri'es of relays is shown, the functions of which may be to control the operation of the keylever mechanism described hereinbefore, so that,

for example, the case shift lever mechanism remains in its shift or operated position upon the reception of the first signal impulse, and to replace the mechanism to its unshift position upon the receipt of a second impulse having the same c aracteristics.

. closed contact l-A, conductor 33, relay tongue 2-C, normally closed contact l--C,- conductor 34, relay tongue 2--B, normally closed contact |B, conductor 35, coil of relay A, conductor 36 to terminal 32, energizing relay A. The contacts IA and 3A of relay A are adjusted so that upon its energization the movable and actuated tongue 2A closes the connected circuit through contact 3Abefore the connected circuit through contact IA is broken, so that it is seen that the signal impulse is impressed directly upon contact 3--A through relay tongue 2-A to continue to energize the .coil of relay A by the said impulse. Energization of relay A also causes its contact 5A to be closed permitting a current flow from the positive terminal 31 of battery 30, conductor 39, normally closed contact 5-C, relay tongue 4--C, conductors 40 and 4|, relay tongue 4-A, contact 5A now closed, conductor 42, coil of relay B, conductor 43, solenoid I8, to terminal 38 of battery 30, energizing relay B and key bar solenoid I8.

Energization of relay B establishes a locking circuit through its contact 5B now closed, from terminal 31, conductor 39, contact 5,'-C, tongue 4-C, conductors 40 and 44, tongue 4-B, contact I S-B, coil of relay B, conductor 43, solenoid I8 to terminal 38. In this manner relay B remains energized for an indefinite period and in turn maintaining the energization of the solenoid l8 for any desired period after the reception of the signal impulse.

Energization of solenoid H! in the manner just described causes a key-lever I! to be depressed to release the cam H and then actuated by power roller ID to rotate the cam a half revolution which causes the bell crank lever 12 to operate its connected mechanism, for example, the case shift mechanism, through the connecting link l6.

The case shift mechanism or any connected mechanism, will remain in this operated position during the period solenoid I 8 remains energized.

3A of relay A, in that, the tongue 2-0 is adapted to close or engage contact 3C before breaking or opening the contact IC. The purpose of this contact adjustment is to prevent interruption of the signal current impressed thereon when the relay C is energized by the said current.

Energization of relay C causes the normally closed contact 4--C to be opened, which opens the locking circuit from battery 30 for relay B and described hereinbefore, causing the relay B and solenoid 18 to be deenergized. Deenergization of solenoid l8 causes its connected keylever H to be released so as to restore the case shift or other connected mechanism to its normal or original position. Relay Bv is restored to its original position as shown in the figure setting up its connected circuits so that when relay C is deenergized another impulse impressed on terminals 3| and 32 the coil of relay can be energized in the manner described. Relay C is deenergized upon the cessation of the second signal impulse, to restore all of the connected circuits to the normal position.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutionsand changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the folv lowing claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a remotely controlled mechanism, the combination of an operating instrumentality, control means for operating said instrumentality, a plurality of relays, one of which is adapted to be operated by a signal impulse to cause the operation of a second relay, a locking circuit for said second relay established upon its operation so that the said second relay continues to operate the said control means upon cessation of said impulse, and an additional relay operated by another signal impulse to disable the said second relay.

2. Control apparatus of the character described, comprising a plurality of relay devices, a source of signal current, a circuit to apply the signal current to one of said relays, mechanism control means, circuits established under the control of the said relay to operate the said control means upon receipt of the signal impulse, an additional circuit adapted to be connected to said current source under the control of the said relay, and means included in the said additional circuit to disable the control means upon the receipt of a second signal impulse.-

lished upon its operation so that the said relay I I continues to operate key operating means upon cession of said impulse.

4. In a remotely controlled recording mechanism, operating instrumentalities, power operated devices individual to said instrumentalities, a. plurality of keys each adapted to cause actuation of one of the power operated devices, means for operating said keys, a plurality of relays, one of which is adapted to be energized by a signal impulse to operate a second relay, a looking circuit for the said second relay established upon its operation so that the second relay continues to operate the said key operating means upon cessation of said impulse, and an additional relay energized by another signal impulse to disable the said key operating means.

CLYDE J. FITCH. 

